Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Reject Reporter's Apology Over Graphic Column, Says It's 'A PR Stunt'
Dec. 26 2022, Published 4:01 p.m. ET
Apology not accepted!
Days after The Sun’s Jeremy Clarkson apologized for penning a graphically hateful column slamming Meghan Markle, detailing how he “hated” her “on a cellular level” and fantasized about a Game of Thrones-inspired scenario in which angry crowds would throw “lumps of excrement” at her, it seems neither the author nor publications' apologies are cutting it.
Last week, both Clarkson and The Sun issued statements regarding the since-scrapped article.
"We at The Sun regret the publication of this article and we are sincerely sorry,” read a message from the tabloid, one Clarkson seemingly reiterated on social media.
“Oh dear. I’ve rather put my foot in it,” the author explained in a post shared to social media amid the peak of the backlash on Monday, December 19.
REPORTER APOLOGIZES TO MEGHAN MARKLE AFTER WRITING HE 'HATED' HER 'ON A CELLULAR LEVEL'
“In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones and this has gone down badly with a great many people,” he continued, adding that he was “horrified to have caused so much hurt” and “shall be more careful in future.”
Even amid these statements, it seems Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, are still hurt by Clarkson’s extremely pointed post — one several fans have dubbed misogynistic —a representative for the royal couple denouncing the statements as being merely for show.
"The fact that The Sun has not contacted The Duchess of Sussex to apologize shows their intent,” they explained, adding that “this is nothing more than a PR stunt."
"While the public absolutely deserves the publication’s regrets for their dangerous comments, we wouldn’t be in this situation if The Sun did not continue to profit off of and exploit hate, violence and misogyny,” they stated of the British tabloid, explaining that “a true apology would be a shift in their coverage and ethical standards for all.”
“Unfortunately, we’re not holding our breath,” they quipped.
TMZ reported on Harry and Meghan’s reaction to Clarkson’s statement.